Alone in the Darkness
by Mylari
Summary: A freak snowstorm hits Arus. One team member has to deal with a nightmare from the past, while others come together when the power goes out. In response to the KAEX Lights out in the Cold challenge
1. Snowfall!

"Wow! Would you look at it come down out there?" Lance turned from the floor to ceiling windows and faced the rest of the Voltron Force.

"Has it ever snowed like this before, Princess?" Keith asked; his brow furrowed. "I know we haven't been on Arus long, but it's never even been cold enough for the leaves to fall before, much less snow."

"It has, Keith, but not very often. I can only remember a handful of times that I've seen it happen." Allura rose from the couch and crossed the lounge until she stood next to Lance by the windows. "It's beautiful, isn't it?" she said softly. "I hope my people are keeping warm. They aren't used to preparing for this kind of weather. We should open the castle to any that need a warmer shelter."

"I'll go let Coran know for ya, Princess. I was gonna go get a snack anyway." Hunk stood and nearly sprinted from the room before anyone else could react.

Keith watched as the big man fled the lounge, a sympathetic look on his face.

Allura's eyes moved from the closing door to Keith in confusion. "What was all that about? I've never seen Hunk in such a hurry to leave a room before."

Keith's expression grew serious and he took a deep breath before responding. "Hunk's not a fan of winter weather. I haven't been able to get him to talk about it much, but I get the impression that he had a traumatic experience as a kid. I think one of his brothers or cousins was involved, but I'm not sure and I don't want to push him about it. I didn't think it was going to end up becoming an issue since the weather on Arus has always been fairly mild."

"Normally it is, but on rare occasions we get real winter weather. Is there something we can do to make things easier for him?"

Keith shrugged and gave her a half smile. "I don't think so. It's probably best just to leave him be. It sounds like before long the weather will go back to normal and so will he."

Allura sighed and looked at the door sadly. "OK, but I don't like seeing him like that."

"He'll be fine. He always bounces back once the weather warms up again."

Allura studied the closed door for a few more moments before turning back to the window and the frosty wonderland lying spread out before her.

* * *

A few hours later, the downy snowfall had slowed to a gentle flurry of fluffy white flakes. The novelty was enough to coax many of the people of Arus from their homes into the frigid white landscape. Mounds of snow obscured the shapes of homes and trees. Even the Black Lion itself was merely a shapeless form atop the pedestal guarding the castle drawbridge. As the sun's light set the top layer of frozen crystals ablaze in brilliance, laughter could be heard carried by the icy winds. Children, who had never seen snow before, quickly discovered how to make snowballs, filling the air with white, whizzing, projectiles. Before long, many of the wide open areas had turned from pristine blankets of snow into mounds, forts, and piles of packed, deformed, frosty mush.

Just as the bitter cold finally made its way through layers of clothing and adrenaline-fueled excitement, the townspeople began to slowly head back to the warmth of their homes where fires burned merrily in hearths and steaming beverages waited to thaw them from the inside out. Exhausted from the fresh air and exertion, few children fought to stay up past their bedtimes, collapsing beneath their blankets into the soothing arms of slumber.

Adults, unused to the chill of winter, snuggled under thick comforters and found themselves drifting off as well. Before long, entire villages were still and silent; serene images of a world at peace.

The Castle of Lions was no exception. The Voltron Force, with one noticeable exception, had also been lured out into the snowy playground surrounding the palace. Lacking proper winter wear, the team had instead donned their uniforms before braving the chilly air. Much like the children of the nearby villages, the team ran through the snowy landscape, pelting each other with snowballs. Allura was introduced to the fine art of creating snow angels and the delicious exhaustion that resulted from a finished snowman. Her laughter was infectious and buoyed her teammates to urge her onto new adventures. As their play escalated, so did the physical nature of their attacks. Snow forts served as ambush points from which to launch projectiles at one another. Snow mounds provided ledges from which to tackle one another. Giggles gave way to shrieks as the Princess found that she was not immune from the boys' attacks.

Rushing from his own hiding space at the sound of Allura's latest screech, Keith found her pinned beneath Lance as he attempted to find a way to shove handfuls of snow into her uniform. Raising one finger to his lips, the captain caught the princess's eye as he snuck up on the Red Lion pilot, his own hands heaped with piles of snow. A wicked gleam formed in his dark eyes as he closed the distance and deposited both handfuls of snow onto Lance's head, making sure some of it found its way into the neck of his uniform.

"Aieee!" Lance screamed as the frozen slush dripped inside his collar and trailed down his spine.

Pidge, across the clearing from his teammates, looked up at the sound of Lance's startled cry. When it was followed by peals of laughter from Keith and Allura, he just shrugged and decided not to get dragged into whatever mischievous activity those three were involved in. Instead, he chose to continue with the safer business of building replicas of Voltron, and the five robot lions that formed him, out of the abundant snowfall. Enlisting three of the local children who were assisting him, they each grabbed one of the team's discarded helmets and used them as buckets to transport additional supplies of snow to their construction site.

Moments later, the peacefulness of their workspace was interrupted once more as Keith dashed right into the middle of their carefully arranged assembly area. He quickly hid behind one of the partially formed figures, glancing quickly over his shoulder as he did so.

Lance followed his commander, tossing snowballs as he ran. His hair, normally feathered around his face, was plastered to his scalp; his face set with a look of fierce determination. Allura remained a few steps behind him as she yelled out warnings and advice to her captain, helping him remain one step ahead of his pursuer.

Pidge rolled his eyes at their crazy antics. The children howled with glee as they watched their heroes play with unbridled exuberance. When their wild actions proved threatening to his careful construction work, Pidge chased the trio away.

Realizing that Pidge wasn't behind them any longer, Keith came to a halt. A quick glance at his companions told him that it was time to head back inside the castle where they could warm up. Lance was soaked from the neck up, his hair freezing into uncontrolled spikes in the chill air. Allura shivered and her lips were tinged with a faint bluish tone. The joyous, uninhibited gleam in her eyes indicated that she was far too engrossed in the outdoor activities to realize just how cold she was. Stepping closer, Keith reached out and wrapped his hands around her arms. He slid them up and down along her biceps in an effort to generate enough friction to warm them for her. Catching her eye, he spoke quietly, "Princess, I think it's time to head back to the castle and warm up. You're shivering."

She nodded silently, afraid to speak and have her voice betray the feelings his touch evoked in her. A warm flush began to suffuse her and crept from her chest to the column of her throat where it remained barely concealed by her collar. Allura allowed him to lead her back inside, so caught up in her reaction to his proximity that she didn't even notice when Lance greeted her as he fell into step beside her.

Once they were back within the shelter of the castle's walls, the princess realized just how chilled she had become. As feeling slowly returned to her extremities, she gratefully accepted a steaming mug of tea before making her way to her room and fresh clothing.

Her companions, after completing similar rituals, waited for her in the lounge. Lance had once again taken up station before the large windows, a pink flush on his cheeks as he savored the sparkling landscape. Keith lay sprawled on the couch, his hands tucked behind his head, his eyes slowly drifting closed as sleep attempted to claim him. Allura cast a brief, indulgent glance at his prone form before crossing the room to stand beside Lance at the windows. She spoke quietly, not wanting to disturb the Red Lion pilot's enjoyment of the view before him. "That was fun, wasn't it? I haven't laughed that hard or that much in quite some time."

"Yeah, sometimes I forget just how much I enjoyed the winter months when I was a kid. Back in the mountain village where I grew up, we'd have weather like this for months at a time. The whole area would become an enchanted world full of surprises and adventures." He fell silent for a moment before turning to face the princess, mischief dancing in his hazel eyes. "And then, when I was a little older, there was always coming back inside and warming up to look forward to." He smirked and waggled his eyebrows at her, laughter in his voice.

She blushed faintly and feigning interest in the snowy view outside, stole a brief glance at Keith's reflection in the window's surface. Absently, she reached up and rubbed her arms, smiling at the faint tingle that remained from his warming touch. Deciding that she needed to drag herself from this train of thought quickly, she turned to face the man beside her.

"Lance?"

"Yes, Princess?"

"It's a shame that Hunk wouldn't take part in the fun this afternoon. Do you know why he feels so strongly about this kind of weather?"

"Not really. He's probably told Keith more about it than anyone and that hasn't been much. Whatever happened to him, he's keeping it to himself."

* * *

Hunk meanwhile had locked himself in his room where he huddled in a corner. He wedged his ample frame into the smallest space possible in the spot furthest away from the windows lining the far wall. He closed his eyes tightly, willing his inner demons away, even as they pawed at his thoughts and clamped his chest in their icy grip.

* * *

The young child sat in the frigid darkness, shivering in fear and cold. His tears had stopped falling hours ago as exhaustion and dehydration began to set in. He'd lost track of how long he had been in this cave, the entrance blocked by an avalanche of snow. His stomach growled, but he had nothing other than snow to offer it, the few meager bits of food he had brought with him ran out what seemed like days ago. The only light in the cavern came from a small flashlight; its failing batteries causing the illumination to flicker ominously. He huddled against the interior wall, wrapped into a tight ball in an attempt to keep warm.

* * *

Night fell, cloaking the landscape in darkness and turning the windows of the lounge into makeshift mirrors. Yawning, Lance stretched until his spine made an audible popping sound. He looked back at his commander who was now sound asleep on the couch. "Y'know, I think Keith has the right idea. I'm beat. G'night, Princess." He waved casually at Allura before making his way from the room.

The princess watched him leave before turning back to look at the man sleeping on the sofa. She thought about waking him and sending him to the comfort of his own bed, but decided against it. Instead she found a pale pink afghan and gently draped it over his prone form. He shifted slightly in his sleep and the princess froze, afraid that she had awoken him after all. When he merely sighed softly and snuggled under the blanket without opening his eyes, she released her held breath and took a seat near him. Between the darkness of the night outside and her preoccupation with watching the captain slumber, she didn't notice that the snow had begun to fall once more. Before long, her eyes drifted closed and she slumped over, coming to rest with her head pillowed against Keith's shins.


	2. Darkness Falls

Outside the castle, the snow continued to fall unabated. The piles of frozen crystals grew inch by inch turning the landscape pristine once more. As the hours passed, the volume of snowfall increased until the very air itself appeared to be a mass of solid white. The winds picked up, creating swirling vortices of icy particles. Trees bowed under the weight of the snow piled on their branches. Suddenly the sound of a loud explosion broke the stillness of the winter night. Within seconds, the Castle of Lions stood dark and silent as the snow continued to fall and the structure's inhabitants slept on unaware.

* * *

Hunk awoke with a start, unsure of what had roused him. He was still curled up in the corner of his room, his knees tucked tightly to his chest. The remnants of his interrupted dream haunted him in the darkness of his bedroom. Rising slowly to his feet, he hugged the wall as he made his way to the light switch. Tapping the plate had no effect as the darkness persisted. He tried to open the door, but that too was inoperable. A feeling of panic began to grip the large man as he realized that temperature in the room was dropping. He pummeled the door with his fists, yelling at the top of his lungs. Finally exhausted from the effort, Hunk sank slowly to the floor, quiet sobs wracking his frame.

* * *

The young boy huddled in the darkness of the cavern. He no longer shivered as numbness replaced the chill in his bones. As weariness caused his eyes to drift shut, he thought he felt warmth begin to spread within him. Giving in to sleep, the boy dreamed of eating a huge feast before a crackling fire. A smile formed on his lips as his breathing slowed.

* * *

Allura curled up into the fetal position and shivered violently. She wrapped her arms even tighter across her chest, but the chill of the room continued to seep into her body. Keith woke to the feeling of something vibrating against his legs. Moving deliberately, he sat up, taking in the darkness of the room. He gently pulled his legs out from the trembling weight of the princess and stood up. He took the blanket that he had been covered with and draped it over her. Her quivering slowed slightly, but did not stop. Wrapping his arms across his chest, Keith absently began attempting to rub warmth into his own body. Squinting in the dimness of the room, he frowned in confusion. This room should never be this dark. Even if the lights were turned off, the emergency lights should have remained on. His frown deepened as he realized that the room was also colder than it should be. He swore quietly under his breath as he paced the room in frustration.

Turning at the sound of Allura's chattering teeth, he made his way back to the couch. She was awake now; sitting huddled under the thin pink blanket. "Keith?" she mumbled sleepily, "Why is it so dark and cold in here?"

He could hear a slight stutter in her speech, likely an effect of her shivering. "I'm not sure, Princess. It seems like the power is out for some reason. Unfortunately that means we're stuck in here with no way to communicate with the rest of the castle until the electricity is restored." He looked at her for a moment before hunkering down in front of the couch. "Allura, without heat, the temperature in here is going to reach near freezing before sunrise. Do you remember if there were any other blankets in here?"

"This is the only one, Keith." Her blue eyes looked up in fear as she realized how little protection they had against the rapidly dropping temperatures.

"Alright, we're going to have to conserve body heat then." He sat down in the corner of the couch, his back pressed firmly into the cushions. "C'mere, Princess." He shifted his legs apart, creating a space for her as he opened his arms.

Allura was thankful for the lack of light so that he wouldn't see her sudden fiery blush. She turned her back to him and slipped into his embrace. Once she was settled, he wrapped his limbs around her and held her securely against his body. She tucked the blanket over them both and allowed herself to relax into his warmth. She smiled and cuddled in further as she felt him tighten his grip, surrounding as much of her frame as possible with his own. He leaned forward and rested his chin on her shoulder.

Allura sighed softly and closed her eyes. She breathed in deeply, relishing the scent of his skin. Her body was on fire where his made contact with her. She was aware of his chest expanding and contracting against her back with every breath he took. She leaned her head against his cheek, her entire world consisting of the form wrapped around her.

Keith heard the princess sigh before nestling in even closer to him. His heart beat wildly in his chest as he tried to keep his emotions under control. When she rested her temple against his ear, her cheek against his, he closed his eyes and bit the inside of his lip, praying that his body wouldn't betray him.

They sat that way quietly for a few minutes, before Keith broke the silence by whispering to Allura. "Are you still cold, Princess?"

She shivered gently at the feeling of his warm breath against her face. "Just a little. How about you, Keith?"

"Don't worry about me." He shifted slightly, looking for a way to accommodate more of her body within his embrace.

She turned to face him and found her lips dangerously close to his. She swallowed hard, her eyes on his mouth before looking up into the dark depths of his eyes. "But Keith, I don't want you to freeze either. We need to keep each other warm," she whispered, twisting around further until her legs were wrapped around his waist.

"Allura, this really isn't a good idea," he uttered so quietly that she had to strain to hear it even as he pulled her closer to him.

"Why not?" she asked, her voice the merest whisper in the air.

"Because…" His words were lost as his head dipped down slowly and his hand slid up into her hair. Their eyes met briefly before two sets of lids drifted closed and two sets of lips met. Her hands slid around on his back, caressing his well-toned muscles. He tightened his hold on her head as the kiss grew in urgency and passion. They both forgot about the darkness and the cold, concentrating only on the release of emotions that had been pent up for so long.

* * *

Hunk slumped to the floor, his sobs giving way to exhaustion as he drifted into oblivion in the cold darkness of his room. His breathing slowed as his mind drifted to a place of warmth and comfort.

* * *

In the castle's control room, Lance turned to Pidge and Coran. "So have we been able to figure out what happened to the castle's power supply yet? The external rooms are starting to get dangerously cold and we have no way of knowing how many of them are occupied."

"I checked and all the fuses and circuit breakers are intact. There has to be an external cause for the power outage. Someone's going to have to check the generators themselves." Pidge frowned as he spoke.

Lance sighed knowing who that someone was going to end up being. "Where's Keith when you need him? He should be the one getting to take on this job, not me," he grumbled. "Y'know what? I think this is a two man job…" He looked at Pidge with a smirk. "There might be places that need smaller hands and arms than mine."

Pidge groaned but followed Lance out of the room. They made their way to the front gate of the castle before stopping short. They looked at the frozen tableau before them and frowned. The snow was easily 4 feet high in places and there was no sign that it would stop falling anytime soon. Pidge looked at the snow then turned to Lance. "How are we gonna get there? Tunnel?"

Lance just shook his head and shrugged. "Good question. Without power, we can't even get to the Lions." The two Voltron pilots looked around for anything to help them make their way to the power generators. Spying the aircars that the team would occasionally use to visit the nearby villages, Lance gestured to Pidge. The two men boarded one of the vehicles and breathed out sighs of relief when it started up without hesitation. Lance manipulated the controls, smoothly guiding the craft out into the open air. They slowly made their way to the power station, fighting strong winds and near white-out conditions. After what seemed like hours in the bitter cold, they reached their destination. Exiting the car, Lance and Pidge trudged through the thick snow, huddled against the chill night air. Shivering, they huffed out warm breaths onto their gloved hands in an effort to keep their fingers from going numb. Finally, they were able to get close enough to see the damage to the structure.

Lance swore quietly as he surveyed the destruction evident on the side of the generator. An entire panel had been blown off; the circuits exposed by the opening were charred and blackened. Pidge reached in a rubbed his finger along the singed wires, whistling quietly as he did so.

"So, do you think we can fix it?" Lance asked, trying to keep the doubt from his voice.

"I'm not sure, let's see what spare parts are out here." Pidge turned and strode from the damaged generator to the small shed nearby. He tried to open the door, but the cold and snow had frozen the lock.

Seeing the trouble facing Pidge, Lance called to him and gestured for him to stand aside. Once he was sure the smaller man was clear of the area, the Red Lion pilot pulled out his laser pistol and took careful aim. Pulling the trigger, he fired directly into the locking mechanism. Almost as quickly as he fired, Lance released his hold on the trigger and motioned to Pidge once more. "Give it a try now," he called out.

Pidge yanked on the door once again and this time it opened reluctantly. Pulling a small flashlight from his belt, he switched it on and aimed the beam into the small room before him. Heaving a loud sigh, he turned back to Lance and smiled. "We're in luck. All the parts and tools we need are here."

Lance closed his eyes and breathed out in relief. He crossed the distance to the shed and helped Pidge gather together the needed supplies.


	3. A New Day

Keith and Allura remained locked in a passionate embrace; their arms wrapped tightly around one another. Their kisses slowed into gentle caresses before finally ending, leaving the pair breathless. Leaning together, forehead to forehead, they sat quietly with their eyes closed. At last, Allura broke the silence with a soft whisper, "I'm not cold anymore, Keith." She started giggling and he couldn't help but join her in laughter as he held her close.

He pressed his lips against the top of her head and spoke quietly, the hint of a chuckle in his voice. "I'm glad, Princess." He hesitated for a few moments, just enjoying the feel of the woman in his arms. "Allura, I've wanted to do that for a long time." He leaned back and held her at arm's length in order to look her in the eyes. "I don't want you to think I was taking advantage of you or the situation, but when you turned around and got so close…" his voice trailed off and he closed his eyes, breathing deeply to regain his composure. "I… I just couldn't help myself."

"Keith, I hope you realize now, that I wanted that just as much as you did." She reached up to caress his cheek before lightly kissing his lips once more. "I've been dreaming about it since right after you arrived. I guess it's safe to tell you that I have a crush on the Black Lion pilot…" She glanced up at him with a shy smile.

He chuckled in response. "Then I guess I should tell you about my crush on the princess…" he uttered huskily as he bent down to capture her lips once more.

* * *

The young boy lay unconscious on the floor of the cavern, his breath coming in slow gasps. A rough scraping sound echoed through the empty space, but he was too far gone to hear it. Moments later a bright light sliced through the darkness and came to rest on his limp form. A muffled shout of "He's in here!" reverberated off the walls, but even this was not enough to rouse the child. The scrabbling sound grew more desperate as hands worked frantically to enlarge the opening. Minutes later a man squeezed through the hole and gained entry to the cave. He rushed to the boy, turning him in order to assess his condition. Seeing the bluish tinge to his skin, the man stripped off his own jacket and wrapped the child in it. He then lifted the flaccid body into his arms and carried him back to the cavern's entrance. The man handed the boy into a pair of waiting arms before following him into the outside world.

* * *

"Alright, I think that does it." Pidge called out to Lance.

"Then let's get her fired up so we can head back to the castle while I still have _some_ feeling in my fingers," he groused in reply.

"Here goes nothing," Pidge mumbled under his breath as he reached out to press the switch that would reactivate the newly repaired power generator. He nearly whooped out loud when a low hum issued forth from the machine. He made his way back out to Lance, a smile plastered on his face. He lifted his thumbs into the air to indicate the success of their mission as he fell into step with his teammate. After replacing their tools in the shed, the duo boarded the aircar for the frigid ride back to the castle.

* * *

Keith and Allura sat drowsing on the couch, still wrapped in a close embrace beneath the blanket. Suddenly the lights flared back to life, nearly blinding the couple. Allura turned her head and hid her eyes in the hollow of her companion's neck. Keith squeezed his eyes shut against the onslaught of brightness before suddenly opening them wide as realization sank in. He gently tapped Allura's shoulder as he whispered into her ear, "Princess, the power's been restored."

She lifted her head and blinked at him sleepily as his words sank in. A grin spread across her face as she flung herself back into his embrace and hugged him tightly. He returned the hold briefly before releasing her once more. "C'mon, we need to go check on the others."

She hesitated for a minute, refusing to move as she stared into his eyes.

He returned her gaze, a frown furrowing his brow. "What is it, Allura? Is something wrong?"

She broke eye contact with him and occupied herself by fingering a lock of his hair.

"Hey, talk to me, what's going on?"

She swallowed then lifted her eyes to his once more. The blue orbs were obscured by tears that she tried to blink away before regaining enough composure to speak. "Keith," she started, her voice cracking. "Where does this leave us?"

He looked at her in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"Well now that the power's been restored are you going to want to go back to the way things were before?" A single tear escaped her eye and slowly began to roll down her cheek.

He watched it glisten in the light for a brief second before reaching out and tenderly brushing it away. He leaned in and gently kissed the eye it had fallen from before lifting her chin and capturing her gaze once more. "Why on Arus would I want to do that? I just found out that the girl I've wanted to be with wants to be with me too." He moved closer and grazed her lips with his own before continuing. "Do you really that I'm willing to forget that and go back to the way things were before? Why would I want to give up being able to do this?" his voice lowered to a gravelly whisper as he caught her lips with his once more. This time he coaxed her into a deeper kiss and threaded one hand through her hair as he held her close with the other. He smiled into the kiss as he felt her relax in his embrace and begin running her hand along his jawline and into his hair.

* * *

Half an hour later, Keith and Allura, hand in hand, joined Lance and Pidge outside Hunk's door. The big man had not made an appearance since the power was restored and the rest of the team was getting worried. Lance knocked on the door as they all called out Hunk's name. When there was no response, Keith nodded to Pidge. The smaller man removed the panel to the locking mechanism and fiddled with the wires inside. Within seconds the door began to slide open. A series of shocked gasps filled the hallway as the sight of Hunk's prone form came into view. They all rushed inside and dropped to their knees around him, shouting his name. Keith shook the big man's shoulder trying to being him around. Finally, a short time later, his eyes began to twitch. Slowly opening them, Hunk looked around at the concerned faces of his teammates.

"What happened?" He asked as she struggled to sit up.

"That's what we'd like to know. What do you remember?" Keith asked gently but firmly.

"It was cold and dark," Hunk whispered. His normally strong voice had softened to that of a child. "I was alone. There was so much snow. I had no food. I was _so_ cold and _so_ tired. They told me that it was safe in there; that it would be fun to explore. They were supposed to come with me, but instead they left me and a storm caused an avalanche. I was trapped and scared." His eyes started off unseeing as he recounted the nightmare of his childhood.

"No wonder you hate the cold weather so much, Hunk," Allura said gently as she embraced the large man. "But it's ok now. You're safe, with friends. We won't let anything like that happen to you again. You just need to trust us and talk to us so we can help you."

Hunk blinked as his vision cleared. He reached out and returned the princess's hug gently. "You're right, Princess. I should have told you all, but I was embarrassed. I shouldn't have believed them. It wasn't the first time that my brother and cousin had tricked me like that. I nearly died because of them."

"Hunk, you have nothing to be embarrassed about. Remember, we care about you. If we had known, we'd never have left you alone during the storm." The princess released him and stood.

Hunk nodded as he got to his feet. Together, the five companions strode across the room to stand before the windows. Keith's arm was draped across Allura's shoulders; her arm wrapped around his waist as the group watched the sun peek above the horizon. A new day was dawning filled with new beginnings as the darkness ended.


End file.
